Aiym

Kazakhstan, SUSI 2017

An aspiring lawyer, Aiym is passionate about criminal justice. She and her European Union Criminal Justice club members helped to employ seven formerly incarcerated women at a small sewing factory. With the seven workers in place, Aiym and her team proceeded to collect orders for the factory. They successfully gathered enough orders to generate ample income to pay the workers for about three months. In addition, they organized a collection of used jeans, which were re-purposed into unique bags, which the ex-prisoners could sell to earn more money. Finally, they helped the factory owner to expand her product range by designing fashionable handbags embroidered with national Kazakh designs.

Aiym and her team titled their project ADAM, which means “human” in the Kazakh language. As Aiym prepared to move on to graduate school, she mentored a new project leader to take over the ADAM project.

Aiym holding one of the denim bags made from recycled jeans.
Aiym models one of the denim bag made from recycled jeans.

Hand bags embroidered with national Kazakhstani designs.
These bags embroidered with national Kazakhstani designs are ready for retail.

Women working at sewing tables.
Two formerly incarcerated women at work in the sewing factory.

Mission

The Study of the United States Institute (SUSI) on Women's Leadership is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). ECA’s mission is "to foster mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries to promote friendly and peaceful relations.